Best Bachelor Degrees

By: Monica Dorsey

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Curious what the best bachelor degrees are in 2010? If by best you are thinking highest paid, then we are of like opportunistic minds. You can go to college to enrich yourself or even change the world, but with the high cost of tuition most just want their degree to show them the moolah. In the spirit of higher learning for higher earning, here are the best bachelor degrees for 2010:

Petroleum Engineering. Cashing in with a starting salary of $86,220 a year, petroleum engineers travel the world seeking oil and gas reserves under the earth's surface. With this bachelor degree, engineers could oversee drilling sites, work on a computer or in a laboratory.
Chemical Engineering. Chemical engineering bachelor degree recipients tailor their education in pharmaceuticals, environmental protection, health care, food processing and many other specialties. No matter the discipline, chemical engineers turn raw material into usable products. Most earn on the high end--$65,142 a year is the starting salary in large pharmaceutical, textile and semiconductor firms
Mining & Mineral Engineering. This bachelor degree program teaches the use of science and math to study minerals and the process to remove them from the earth. This precious career garners an average starting salary of $64,552 a year.
Computer Science. A computer science bachelor's degree allows for a career creating new technologies, typically specializing in a particular software program or hardware. Those who make the grade average a $61,205 starting salary.
Computer Engineering. Computer engineers focus on designing software applications for computer systems in everything from cars to toasters. With the emergence of computers everywhere, a bachelor's degree in the field demands a $60,879 a year starting salary.
Electrical/Electronics & Communications Engineering. EE's develop, design and test all types of electrical equipment. Like all scientists, electrical engineers must have a knack for communicating their ideas to others in the field. To garner the $59,074 starting salary, an electrical engineer must earn a bachelor degree covering both math and science curriculums.
Mechanical Engineering. The jack-of-all-trades in the engineering world, a mechanical engineering degree promises a $58,392 yearly starting salary. The mechanical engineer is knowledgeable in technical, environmental and social problems to design the tools needed to build a better mouse trap.
Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering. A bachelor's degree in industrial engineering is a people-driven discipline. They plan, design and implement complex systems for industries from food processing to banking to local government. Graduates of a bachelor's program can expect to pull in a starting salary of $57,734 a year.
Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering. One of the most challenging career paths, Aerospace engineers research and design high speed transportation vehicles in a constantly evolving technological world. Graduating from the intensive program bags a starting salary of $57,231 a year.
Information Sciences and Systems. Information System graduates apply information and technology to solve problems from the perspective of a stakeholder. The average starting salary in the field is $54,038 a year.